Facebook has added traffic, conversions and page post engagement objectives for its Click-to-WhatsApp ads — ads that launch a WhatsApp chat via the Facebook News Feed.
Why marketers should care
Facebook’s Click-to-WhatsApp ads offers marketers and advertisers a way to start a conversation with consumers on its encrypted messaging app. The ads can be purchased through Facebook’s Ad Manager platform and display in a user’s Facebook News Feed. Now, in addition to messages, Click-to-WhatsApp ad campaign objectives include traffic, conversions (for website), and post engagement.
Facebook has been aiming to monetize its encrypted messaging app for some time now. In Jan. 2018, the company first launched a business app and business profiles for marketers using the WhatsApp messaging app. Facebook’s Click-to-WhatsApp ads began rolling out in August of last year, launching a pre-filled WhatsApp chat that allowed users to message a business via the app. (Advertisers running Click-to-WhatsApp ads receive metric reports in their Facebook Ads Manager dashboard tracking how many conversations were started via the ads.)
Expanding its ad offerings to WhatsApp is a logical next step for Facebook as its News Feed ad inventory continues to become more saturated. With these latest features, marketers will be able to attach specific ad objectives to the Clicks-to-WhatsApp ad campaigns — further integrating a Facebook-to-WhatsApp engagement strategy.
More on WhatsApp ad options
- Advertisers running the ads must have WhatsApp Business app downloaded and attached to their Facebook Page.
- Facebook announced in Aug. 2018 that it had plans to roll out WhatsApp ads in the app’s status feature in 2019, but no specific launch date has been given.
- WhatsApp currently has roughly 1.5 billion total users, with 450 million daily active users.
About The Author
Amy Gesenhues is Third Door Media’s General Assignment Reporter, covering the latest news and updates for Marketing Land and Search Engine Land. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs.com, SoftwareCEO.com, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy’s articles.